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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I Hate Chicago by Nick Vandermolen

I usually do not read non-fiction books, although I have read a few recently. I Hate Chicago is about the life and times of the Author, Nick Vandermolen, once he graduated from College and moved away from home, Small Town USA.

The book is somewhat fragmented and threw me off a bit, and I would have to admit that it took me much longer to read for this reason then is my want. The beginning for me was a bit slow, I had difficulty understanding where the author was going. It really threw me initially when the book went from how and why he ended up in Chicago without a job, to the evils of coffee.

As I continued to read, I had to admire the jargon used and how he set up the very evilness of the drink, how it lulls us into thinking that we are enjoying it, when in all reality, there is much more happening then we are aware of. I found myself smiling at the antics.

This time when the writing went back to the author and his second 30 days in Chicago, I was more prepared. I began to enjoy the way he poked fun at himself, and began to realize what he was missing from the small town and how he was now realizing that his father was a hero. I enjoyed reading his take on some of the absurdities of life and how he seemed to be able to make his way with his humor intact.
I enjoyed hearing about his friends and their antics.

As the book moved from Nick and his problems again and into the reality of the metropolis, I was intrigued by his thoughts and perception of what it is all about. I enjoyed the part on the metropolis being more fast paced when in fact as Nick states in his comments, it is the people who are faster, it actually takes more time to move a shorter amount of distance in a metropolis than it takes to move three times that much in a small town. It was a very insightful bit, and quite illuminating.

As the story wrapped up with the next thirty days of living in Chicago, I was sorry to see it come to a close. What I admired is how he faced his fears as a child and found that it is not so easy as you become an adult, the same things do not work that may have worked as a child.

I found the book to be fun and yet just a bit difficult. It was definitely thought provoking and I felt myself smiling at the antics of Vandermolen and his friends several times. If you enjoy non fiction and are interested in the process of growth and learning as well as the absurdity involved, you will enjoy this work. It is distributed by Nan Bu Nan Publishing. If you are interested stop by his site and check it out. A very interesting man indeed.